In general, Siri was adept at finding local businesses and understanding operating system commands but not so good at tracking down general information or leading users to helpful commerce-related results, according to Munster's study.

Though the improvement from iOS 5 to iOS 6 was minor, Munster believes Apple will further enhance Siri's comprehension skills when iOS 7 debuts next year.

"Overall we believe that while Siri has made some improvements in comprehension and accuracy, continued improvements are likely in iOS 7, including better commerce and maps integration," Munster said in a research note released today.

In another twist, Siri now relies much less on Google for finding answers to questions she can't handle. Siri's overall dependence on Google for information dropped to 30 percent in iOS 6 from 60 percent in iOS 5.

The biggest change came from the ouster of Google Maps in iOS 6. Since then, 23 percent of travel-related queries have gone to Apple Maps, with others going to Yahoo and Yelp.

"We view this as a slight negative for consumers on Apple products, as we view Apple Maps as an inferior product to Google Maps," Munster said.

About the author

Journalist, software trainer, and Web developer Lance Whitney writes columns and reviews for CNET, Computer Shopper, Microsoft TechNet, and other technology sites. His first book, "Windows 8 Five Minutes at a Time," was published by Wiley & Sons in November 2012.
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